| Subtlety is in style; young women want more choices for modest clothing |
|
By Sue Kidd King Journal 2004-05-16 Journal Reporter It took Alyssa Webster ``forever'' to find the perfect dress for her confirmation at her Catholic church. ``I went to six or seven stores. I saw tight, tight skirts and dresses that were really, really tight. It was really hard to find the right length skirts. They were either really short and they were low slung, around my hips,'' says the 16-year-old Kirkland teen who attends the Holy Names Academy in Seattle. She settled on a black and white floral dress. But it was strapless. Her solution to make it fit her more conservative look -- a pink cardigan. With the cardigan and a dress length just below her knees, she felt it was the perfect look for her April confirmation. She'll also wear the outfit May 23 when she and members of the Kirkland-based Challenge Club of Greater Seattle, a Catholic group for girls ages 10 to 16, will model what they call ``tasteful'' clothes with a focus on modesty. The ``Pure Fashion'' show begins at 2 p.m. May 23 at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Wintergarden. Tickets are $25 and include dessert and coffee. The keynote speaker, Dr. Coleen Kelly Mast, will give a speech called ``What a Girl Wants and How to Get It.'' Fashion forward The group believes they're on the edge of a movement among younger girls, especially girls who are members of the nationwide club, to dress fashionably without compromising their modesty. They know other groups elsewhere in the country have sponsored similar fashion shows and felt they should do the same. ``We want to teach girls it's OK to dress modest and still be fashionable. We want to show girls that how they dress reflects on them,'' says Webster. Mary Bucy, a fellow Challenge member and 16-year-old Sammamish resident, adds, ``Modesty is more than just not wearing so-called bad clothes, it's about your attitude. It's about self confidence and not putting your confidence in what you wear or what people think you are. ``Nowadays, you see girls in the mall wearing these things that are coming down to here,'' says Bucy. ``It's like wearing a bathing suit to the mall. It's becoming so normal. Well, we want to tell others that you don't have to give up part of yourself to stay in style. You can wear modest clothes and still be fashionable, and still respect yourself.'' Not old-fashioned Bucy, who attends Eastside Catholic High School, added their drive for modesty is often misperceived as old-fashioned. ``People hear this and think we're saying we should all look like frumps,'' says Bucy. ``That's not what we're saying. ... To be modest, you don't have to be some kind of frump. I don't have to sacrifice looking cute. You can be modern and still be modest.'' The girls say it's getting easier to dress more current, and less revealing, with new fashions that are coming into style -- such as capri pants and polo shirts. The girls call it ``the return of the preppy look.'' ``I can wear a polo shirt and capris and feel comfortable,'' says Webster. Also, the 1950s-style fashions are making a return, which the girls find appealing. The girls also use a ``layering'' style of dress, such as wearing a tank top with a larger tank top layered over it or a cami underneath a blouse. It's a style they say is easy to achieve, if you know where to look for the clothes. However, that's not always easy. Redmond mother Pam Gunderson, one of the leaders of the Challenge Club, explains, ``I was shopping with daughters and friends for jeans last summer. I had my daughter go back and try a size bigger because they were so tight. The sales clerk said, you want them tighter, you want `the look.' That's what we're finding, the tight look is in,'' says Gunderson of current fashions. She and Challenge members added that many stores have been very receptive when they've requested less revealing clothing. Gunderson's 11-year-old daughter, Ella, wrote a letter to Nordstrom saying, ``With a pair of clothes from your store, I would walk around showing half of my body and not fully dressed it seems.'' Nordstrom managers responded in letters of their own letting Ella know that they are taking her feedback seriously and added, ``Also, we will do our best to educate our sales people as to the many different looks that are available.'' Gunderson says department stores are clueing in on what girls and women want. ``I think this is not just some fringe opinion. I think women want to claim their dignity and say, `I'm looking for clothes that will make me feel wholly who I am.''' The girls say they can feel isolated at times about their pledge to wear less revealing clothes. Some people chalk their movement up to a ``religious'' thing. The girls say their morals are deeply grounded in their faith, but the issue of modest dressing transcends religion. Kalene Morris, a 15-year-old Kirkland resident and Challenge member, said, ``Since we're talking about modesty, they just say, `Oh, it's another religious thing.' Anyone who respects their body should be dressing modestly. It's not necessarily a religious thing. ... Modesty is not at all reserved for people of faith.'' At times, the girls have been embarrassed to speak up about their opinions, especially when it comes to peers who disagree. When an announcement was made at Webster's school about the pure fashion show, a few of her classmates scoffed. ``Some people just laughed,'' says Webster. ``It makes me feel sad for them that they're not willing to reach out and think they can be more than that. I hope they understand some day.'' Tips from Pam Gunderson on how to shop with daughters * If you can't find clothing that will work, ask a sales clerk for advice. They often can help put a look together. If the sales clerk can't help, write a letter to the fashion buyers at the department store. * Worried you won't be able to get your daughter to buy less revealing clothing? Go shopping with other people. ``You dilute the whole mother-daughter dynamic when you bring another mother along,'' says Gunderson. ``If your daughter wants a second opinion, she can just ask the other person.'' PURE FASHION SHOW * Sunday, May 23 * 2-4 p.m. * Bellevue Hyatt Regency Wintergarden * $25 (includes dessert and coffee) * 425-822-8879 or 425-822-7377 Eastside: King County Journal 1705 132nd Ave. N.E. Bellevue, WA 98005-2251 Phone: 425-455-2222 Fax: 425-635-0602 South County: King County Journal 600 Washington Ave. South Kent, WA 98032 Phone: 253-872-6600 Fax: 253-854-1006 All materials Copyright © 2004 Horvitz Newspapers, Inc.
|
| HOME | INDEX |Questions, Comments or Need Help Regarding The SEX RESPECT Web Store ? |